EE - buy horse and teach myself!?

[lolaelsa]

I've got the seatsaver, am reading the book, got the vid. Like most of us. (Also reading Mark Rashid and Klaus Hempfling.)

I've recently returned to riding after long break (not ridden since childhood pony I owned). Had a few disastrous hacks with one school and changed to another where I've had 5 lessons so far. At the outset I explained that I wanted to go right back to the beginning to the basics and learn to ride properly using EE philosophy. OK, no probs.

However, although I realise that my instructor is not trained in EE, she gave he impression that she has an appreciation and/or knowledge of the "classical" way. I thought that this was probably the best I could hope for as I don't live next door to Heather or Sue!

Much to my disappointment and frustration I now come to realise that I am in fact learning in just the old way, as I did as a youngster. Surely I don't have to perfect the wrong techniques before I can apply the methods I want to learn and use?

And get this - the wrong techniques - I can't do them! I don't want to be able to do them. What can I do. There don't seem to be many schools around where I live and I wonder if there is anyone who cares enough to teach a customer what they really want to know.

I am unhappy with the length of the stirrups I am made to ride in. I want them long so that i can flex my legs luxuriously downwards, using my body weight and gravity and the horse's natural movement with my natural movement, ie together. I have to have them way too short and I am not getting the full benefit of my seatsaver this way. I am also fighting gravity and my own body weight. I am all over the place and so is the horse (poor love). I am sitting ON the saddle rather than IN the saddle. It's not possile for me to achieve what the instructor wants! She says that I don't have a firm enough seat for long strirrups yet. How is this?

Heeeeeeelllllllppppppp please EE bods.

I wasn't going to buy my own horse until early 2003 (thought I would be about ready for anything by them - well almost) but I am so so tempted to buy my own now and work quietly and gently together, trusting, having fun, building a relationship.

Now I have whichever horse has worked the least that day at the school. There is not a huge selection as in this area a lot of farmers are doing large scale liveries and schools are missing out on income and the knock-on is that they are not able to keep a "good selection" of riding stock.

Any ideas? Should I strike out on my own now rather than waste the next 9 or 10 months which I thought of as my preparation time for buying my own.

SO confused now. Sorry its too long. Thanks for reading it if you managed to get this far. bfn.

[Heather]

HI Lolaelsa,

Whereabouts do you live?


Heather

[heland]

Like you Iolaelsa I am learning the EE way by myself.

I bought a horse in January and have gone back to basics with him. My last instructor somehow gave me a frown when I mentioned the Heather Moffet saddle and the EE way of riding.

I have since moved yards and I'm borrowing a friends EE book at the moment until my book arrives, hopefully on my birthday!!

The last couple of weeks my horse and I have progressed in leaps and bounds and he is also much more relaxed. The only thing is he responds beautiful to my seat and legs without stirrups, but when I use my stirrups I feel I have to use alot more pressure.....suppose it's the saddle.

I did buy a Wintec saddle as my horse was unfit when I bought him and I knew he would be changing shape. My new instructor thinks the saddle is too deep, as it pushes your seat slightly forward. Hopefully when my horse starts getting into shape I will go for the HM saddle. My new instructor seem alot better but I have been told to shorten my stirrups.

Is there a teacher in Richmond, North Yorkshire area?

[lolaelsa]

Heather, I live in North Dorset, between Sherborne and Blandford.
Might you have one of your trainees nearby?

Heland, I think now that my instructor must have frowned too, or at least chosen to hear only what she wanted to hear. I hope that your book does arrive on your birthday. How is it going along with your horse? Is he your first? Today my husband has kind of put his views across ref my buying a horse now. It does make a lot of sense to me in some ways. I don't want to impulse buy a horse which is how I do everything else. But when those long summer evenings come .... ..... might be very difficult. Also early next year I should have saved enough for the Spanish horse I long for.

I was wondering about instructors sticking to the old methods like glue. If they learn and qualify with the BHS must they then always teach using the methods laid down by the BHS? (is they are offering their services as a BHSI). If so, how are teachers to be "enlightened" if the powers that be are not?

[heland]

I do think alot of the BHS instructors teach the BHS way although I have come across one BHSAI, who has just recently left our yard who did have a different view. She said to me "don't just do what one instructor tells you to do, get information from a few and mix it all together and see what works best for you"

I am currently going through my BHS Exams but it is purely for my own satisfaction and to gain extra knowledge.

I used to have a pony when I was young and have just started riding again last year. I never thought for one moment that I would ever own another horse.

A horse came up for loan last year and after alot of thought I decided to go for it. She was lovely but also lame so I had to hand her back. This really upset me and my husband said we could afford a horse as long as we stuck to a price. In December I went to see a horse and it was an instant click, the owner let me have it on trial for a month.

He is a lovely gentle 16.3 TB, he is also very green as he was only hacked out. We have had a few problems and he did fail his vetting (COPD), but he is a joy. Reading everynight and practising the next day on him he is improving. My new instructor has also commented on how relaxed he is.

Just as you said Iolaelsa, we are working together, trusting each other, building a relationship and having fun. I know it might take time with him but I'm enjoying every moment and I wouldn't swop it for anything.

Don't rush into anything, I'm a firm believer that you will know when you meet the right horse.

[LindaAd]

Maybe it's just a question of finding the right school, Lolaelsa. Of course BHS-trained instructors aren't all the same; mine is an AI, but she's very open to all sorts of ideas (she always listens, even if she doesn't necessarily agree); and she was really impressed by what I learned at Heather's.

I'd say if you've set your heart on a Spanish horse but you buy something else because you can't afford the Spanish one yet, you risk feeling disappointed, and that you've ended up with second-best. Unless of course you find a horse that's perfect and that you can afford....

What is it that you feel is wrong about how you're being taught, apart from the stirrup length (and that seems an unusual approach to me - most instructors I've met seem to want to get people deeper into the saddle, with longer legs.)

[Heather]

HI Loloelsa,

Well if you are in Dorset, I am not a million miles away in Devon. I am no longer doing the courses here after the end of April except the simulator workshops, but even one of these woudl help to get you started on the right track. It sounds to me as if you could do with a good schoolmaster horse on loan, and you are obviously intelligent enough to work a lot of things out for yourself.

I woudl go for having your own horse and then listening to thim or her- but do go for a safe schoomaster who you can enjoy-

Heather